Monday, May 21, 2012

SOLVING INSOLUBLE PROBLEMS.

1. Noblesse oblige

I am an old researcher. Old because the life expectancy for males in this area of the world is 69.8 years and I am now 74.6 years old. And an old researcher because exactly 50 years ago I became the head of a pilot plant aiming to work out a commercial technology of epoxy plasticizers- made from vegetable oils and hydrogen peroxide; used for food grade PVC products. And I have worked in research for the rest of my life.
Old researchers have great duties/tasks. They have not more to care for their professional career (it is over)- they have to work for the future at the very peak of their skills and reputation. Impossible and infinite research tasks, insoluble problems – these define their natural activity. Their work habitat has to be the far right of the Medawar Zone, see please my classical writing: http://www.geocities.jp/hjrfq930/FTEssay/Essays/Gluck.htm
You will see this is about CF/LENR. We will answer later to the question: “Is LENR an insoluble problem?” (and if yes, then why and how, not?)

2. This is the first part of a series.

To make a presentation of the subject “How to solve the insoluble
problems” in the frame of a single writing is a really insoluble problem. Obviously I will try to make the impossible by applying the most adequate methodology, i.e. using my own 20 Problem Solving Rules. I hope you already know that Rule No. 18 is the best for that: “Do NOT accept the premises of the problems, change them, as necessary and possible.” We have to define optimistically and pragmatically the insoluble problems as “the problems that must be radically changed before we can find a
solution for them.
One of the reasons for doing our research in more parts is the situation of the very science to which our endeavor belongs.
My friends in LENR are complaining a lot that LENR is or ignored with hostility, either it is oppressed with brutality. This statement is even more damaging in the case of problemology.
Problemology- is the study of real problems NOT mathematical
Ones, see e.g. http://ifsr.ocg.at/world/files/
It is the most useful of all sciences beyond any doubt; however have you learned problemology in the school? My 20 Rules are known, are accessible on the Web in 19 languages; will they be taught to the young generations? To any generation? Have the great Press helped to disseminate them? No, no, no!
I consider an intellectual crime that such absolutely basic discoveries of problemology as the existence of “wicked problems” see please http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked_problem are not known by everybody and people are kept illiterate in problemology.
We swim in wicked problems, we are systematically killed by them in long- very long range, the situation with many wicked problems will become desperate only after many stages of improvement, it is sooo bad…and who cares? Are you warned during your school years about the dangers of wicked problems? Do you find anti-wicked problems brochures in good hotel rooms? Many people are destroyed by these wicked social problems and have no idea how this has happened.
Very difficult issues, you see, however eventually I will offer you and the World a practical Handbook for Solving Insoluble Problems.

3.A tragic problem: problems are many times more profitable than solutions.

We, independent thinkers have to judge the things very objectively and wisely. A simplification to be avoided is “problems- bad, solutions- good.” It is not realistic in a complex world, full of contradictions, even antagonisms. As I have called this the first rule of Probletence "A problem will NOT be solved if the number, influence and/or power of the people living, taking profit from the problem, is greater than the same characteristics of the people who want solve the problem."
The first example that comes to my mind is the mission of the pharmaceutical industry. The initial purpose of it was to manufacture products and other things that make people healthy.
Very soon the means have replaced the aims and the pharmaceutical companies want to make big money by selling medicines helping (and HELLping) both people and illnesses to survive, to coexists. The best customers are those addicted for life to our products. These strange Problem-Solution hybrids are very profitable.
Or let’s take death...is it really a Problem? Some gerontologists as the famous Aubrey de Grey: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aubrey_de_Grey are telling us that we will solve both the problem of aging (we will remain young) and of death (we will become immortal, more or less). I suppose he is popular and makes good money and I send him the old good wish “”Bis Hundertzwanzig”- but he wishes more than 120.
Re immortality I think this could be an awfully strange solution of a problem that actually does not exist. Suppose we had been immortal from the very start (in the Garden of Eden we were so but we have sinned and good-bye eternal life!) due to immortality today a small minority of 7 billion people had to take care of some 112 billions – a real orgy of multiculturalisms- and a tremendous diversity of ages -beyond imagination.
The issue of immortality-as-solution could not be complete without the story of Eos. (You see, one of the roots of my sympathy for Defkalion is Greek mythology-an inexhaustible treasure of wise/instructive stories; Greek mythology was the last
religion with humans-like gods and vice-versa (hybridizable). Please re-readhttp://egooutpeters.blogspot.com/2011/01/stop-koalemos.html
it explains the connection between Greek gods and our most wicked problems- now!
OK, Eos the goddess of dawn =was what we will call today, very unjustly and in the stupid sexist mode- a blonde. Insatiable sexual appetite, a strange preference for handsome humans, well hidden intelligence. In the case of Tithonos one of her best lovers Eos has asked Zeus to make this guy immortal but forgot to ask eternal youth for him too. So, Tithonos was transformed soon in an old monster looking like a horror or nightmare figure unable to move a single part of his body, shrunken, dried, stinking. Eventually the story was settled Olympus style- Tithonos was metamorphosed in some nasty insect. (The DDR writer Franz Fuhmann, specialized in myths in the literature wrote an absolutely charming variant of this story) But the essence is: a partial solution can be much worse that the initial problem.

4. The solutions are not in old writings but in new work.

The eternal problem of death- “I die and then nothing will remain for me, nothing at all!” is psychologically unacceptable, therefore the problem, despite its inexistence has generated a lot of solutions very profitable for the vendor. See please Rule no. 10 :”NOT the solutions that are logical and perfectly rational but those that are adequate for the feelings of the potential users, even if they are illogical, have the greatest chances for fast implementation” That is, expected, desired, positive falsities are more readily ‘swallowed’ than the smart unpleasant truth. If you can offer a solution to death, “it is not over, if you believe some things, abstain from some deeds, practice some rituals, respect certain taboos, strictly follow the Rules, repeat regularly the good spells and gladly give a part of your money to us, we will warrantee you a second life. This second life will be absolutely without problems a real enchantment- the reward of your conformist behavior. Different tribes offer you their best and unique true way to transform death in a wonderful new existence.
I have learned the power of Rule 17: “Not always the existent, real problems, but many times the fictive, imaginary ones can be solved with the greatest difficulty.” When and where this does apply, then it is irresistible. All the creative energies are consumed for the imaginary problems- and the real problems
are aggravating.
You will be forced to accept that everything is written in the Old Books- the depositaries of divine and human wisdom. It is useless to search for solutions in other places, it is counter-productive to try to create, build new solutions. Personal problem solving initiatives are discouraged.
For me the problem of death is rather acute, however I am too busy, too focused on the short future and too suspicious toward the long past, I don’t want a second life. Geography is destiny, history is a prison. Living in the past has one thing going for it; it's cheaper! (old saying, usually censored) If it is possible I will try to come back in order to see what became my dreams. If not, not. I have learned that you cannot succeed in everything.

5. I got help and inspiration

I want to tell you first of all about how to solve the insoluble social problems; a continuation of my essay: http://egooutpeters.blogspot.com/2011/02/insoluble-problems-of-social-science.html. The sad truth is that after analyzing the offer and ideas of the Left and of the Right, after discovering that the present Crisis is systemic, I have concluded that the social problems are essentially insoluble. The metaphoric description of this situation is: the Whole became suddenly smaller than the sum of its Parts. In cases of synergies, the Whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The most adequate antonym of synergy is undermining, just think about this please.
At this point the Internet, my good friend, has sent me a sign of encouragement. Paradoxically it was an Old Book! A prophetic old book that shows masterfully the root cause of the present disaster. The book is “THE RULING MINORITY” (1974) written by Lawrence R. Krivit, the father of Steve Krivit our LENR journalist. Due to Steve’s very radical negative position re
Andrea Rossi we had some explosive exchanges of ideas (I am a 100% alpha character and a grumpy old man) but eventually we have decided that the things that unite us are more important than those in which we have antagonist opinions.
The book is a captivating lecture, Krivit-father was an excellent writer and a very skilled thinker, you can understand step by step in a natural gradation the harm done by inherited great wealth to
the society. I warmly recommend you to get the electronic (Kindle) edition of the book. Go please to: http://blog.newenergytimes.com/2012/05/18/a-new-old-book-on-economics-and-politics/
The book is actually about one of the most damaging social phenomena- let’s call it euphemistically the problem of privileges. (parasites is not correct politically, biologically and conceptually) My septoe can be applied here: “Human rights are threatened by Human Privileges” A story repeated from the dawns of human history. The first king and the first shaman were privileged persons with no real justification. The society accepts that some people (in this case those who inherit huge riches) are above the other people. What we call democracy is undermined by phenomena as those described here: http://egooutpeters.blogspot.com/2011/07/dirtiest-f-word.html
and here: http://egooutpeters.blogspot.com/2011/04/non-event-not-as-harmless-as-i-thought.html
These two writings had zero echoes and no impact- but both describe most destructive cases of the suicidal complicity of the victims and deserve the attention of those implied.
An other pathological anomaly in problem solving: privileges are a problem but are seen as a solution. I was shocked to see how many otherwise reasonable and rational people in Romania became monarchists recently. It’s true -democracy has not offered many politicians we can trust. I think Pareto’s Law applies here in a special form- democracy here is 80% solution but 20% problem.
What’s a source of hopes: the 99% seem to have understood
that the 1% so well described and characterized by Larry Krivit so many years ago-are a problem that generates other problems.